Trim button

ABSTRACT

1,102,895. Making buttons; stamping. R. E. FORSYTH. 18 May, 1965 [18 May, 1964], No. 20918/65. Headings B3A and B3Q. [Also in Division A4] In a method of making a tufting button for upholstery a cap 10 is attached to a collet 11 having a stem 12 by means of dies 20, 21, of which the upper die has a member 22 movable in a central opening 21a which receives the cap blank and the lower die has an opening 23 in which moves a member 25, the opening 23 being of less cross-sectional dimension than the opening 21a to provide an annular shoulder 24 and the member 25 has an inclined shoulder 27 on which the collet rests. As the members are moved together shoulder 24 deforms the free edge of the blank radially inwardly and then as member 25 is moved upwardly shoulder 27 deforms the cap edge, including a cloth covering into contact with the collet.

Aug. 30, 1966 R. E. FoRsYTH 'mm BUTTON Filed May 18, 1964 INVENTOR RAY E FORSYTH ATTORN EYS United States Patent O 3,268,964 TRIM BUTTON Ray E. Forsyth, 16151 James Couzens Hwy., Birmingham, Mich. Filed May 18, 1964, Ser. No. 368,269 3 Claims. (Cl. 24-113) This invention relates to trim buttons and particularly to trim buttons that are used in upholstering automobiles and the like.

A major problem with respect to trim buttons such as are used in automobiles and the like is that the cap, which 'is -often covered with a .cloth or plastic covering, tends to easily become disconnected from the collet;

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a trim button which obviates this difficulty by having the free edge of the side wall of the cap deformed radially inwardly beyond the normal inclined peripheral surface of the collet.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a trim button which is neat in appearance and can be used in the same manner as prior art buttons.

It .is a further object of the invention to provide a method and 'apparatus for making such trim buttons.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a part sectional view of a trim button embodying the invention.

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views of an apparatus for making the trim button shown in FIG. 1, the parts being shown 'in successive Operating positions.

Referring to FIG. 1, the trim button embodying the invention comprises a cap which is attached to a collet 11 having a laterally extending stem 12, whereby the button is attached to the upholstery. Collet 11 includes a top surface 13, an inclined peripheral surface 14V which extends axially and radially inwardly toward the stem 12, and a bottom surface 15 that extends generally transversely toward the stem 12.

Cap 10 includes a top wall 16 which may be concave, flat or convex and an annular side wall 17 that is deformed inwardly, the free edge 18 of the bottom wall extending radially inwardly below the bottom surface 15 of the collet 11. A covering C is provided over the outer surface of the bottom wall 16, over the outer surface of the side wall 17, around the free edge 18 of the side wall 17, over the inner surface of the side wall 17 and radially inwardly along a portion of the lperiphery of the inner surface of the top wall 16 into overlying relationship with the top surface 13 of the collet 11.

As shown in FIG. 1, the covering is thickened in the area 19 adjacent the free edge 18 of the side wall 17 of the cap 10.

By this construction, the cap 10 is fixed to the collet 11 in such a manner that there is little possibility of the cap coming off of the collet when the trim button is in use. The covering material C may comprise plastic, cloth or plastic limpregnated cloth. Such materials have the tendency to return to their original dmensions when tensioned, as for example when they are placed in tight contact with the cap surfaces. However, the provision of the free edge 18 extending radially inwardly beyond the inclined surface 14 and the provision of the covering material on the inner surfaces of the wall 17 'and top wall 16 insures that the cap will not tend to pop off, as may occur with prior art trim buttons.

In accordance with the invention, the trim button is made in an apparatus such as shown 'in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 which comprises an upper die 20 and a lower die 21 which are moved into registry. The upper die 20 has an 'opening 21a therein in which a movable member 22 is adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly. The cross section and size of the |opening 21a correspond to the peripheral dmensions of a blank B that is positioned in the opening 21a. The blank B corresponds to the cap with the covering material C thereon shown in FIG. l except that the side wall 17 including the peripheral edges 18 eXtends axially and has not been deformed.

The lower die 21 includes an opening 23 aligned With the opening 21a but having slightly less cross sectional dmensions to provide an annular shoulder 24 aligned with the free edge of the blank B. Lower die 21 also includes a movable member 25 in the opening 23 having an opening 26` therein into which the stem 12, which is attached to the c-ollet 11, extends. The upper end of the member 25 is provided with an upwardly and outwardly inclined shoulder 27 on which the collet 11 rests when the collet is in position on the lower movable member 25.

In operation, when the blank B has been placed in position in opening 21a and the collet 11 has been inserted in position as shown in FIG. 2, the movable member 22 is first moved downwardly to bring the free edge of the blank B into contact with the shoulder 24 while the side wall and bottom wall of the blank are confined by the sides of the opening 21a and member 22, respectively. The lower member 25 is then moved upwardly to bring the collet 11 within the cup-shaped blank B. As this is done, the upper member 22 is moved downwardly to cause shoulder 24 to deform the free edge of the blank B radially inwardly into overlying relation With. the shoulder 27 on the lower member 25. The movement of the upper member 22 is then interrupted and the lower member 25 is moved upwardly to cause inclined shoulder 27 to deform the free edge 18 including the covering thereon axially upwardly and radially inwardly into contact With the lower surface 15 of the collet 11. The excess material present at the area of the periphery is thereby thickened as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. This is accomplished with-out crimping or splitting the edge 18 of the cap.

Satisfactory results have been achieved by using a cap made -of 0.010 cold rolled steel or 0.012 hot rolled low carbon open hearth steel, the latter being zinc-nickel plated. Satisfactory coating materials which have been used are vinyl, or Vinyl impregnated drill, knit back and paper fabrics.

It can thus be seen that there have been provided a trim button and method and apparatus for manufacturing such a trim button wherein the cap is firmly fiXed to the collet so that it cannot be removed in normal use.

I claim:

1. A trim button comprising a collet,

said collet having an annular peripheral surface extending generally axially and a base surface extending generally radially inwardly from said surface,

a cap,

said cap being generally cup-shaped and having a top wall and an annular side wall terminating in a free edge,

a covering on said cap,

said covering extending over the outer surface of said top wall and the outer surface of said side wall around the free edge of said side wall and along the inner surface of said side wall and a portion of the inner surface of said top wall,

said side wall of said cap being deformed inwardly to hold the covering in contact with the peripheral surface of said collet with the portion adjacent the free edge of said side wall being deformed radially inwardly to hold the covering in contact with said base surface of said collet,

said covering being substantially thicker in the portions of the free edge of said side wall of said cap.

3 4 2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said 1,197,384 9/1916 Menkin 79-5 annular 'peripheral surface is -inclined and extends gen- 2,423,535 7/1947 Welter 24-104 erally radially inwardly. 2,814,220 11/1957 Spendel et al. 79-5 3. The combination set forth Lin claim 1 including a stem extending laterally from the base surface of said 5 FOREIGN PATENTS wnet Ad. 63,694 4/ 1955 France.

916,398 1/1963 Great Britain. References Cited by the Examiner 265,604 3/ 1950 Switzerland.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. 575,157 1/1897 Howell 24-152 658 000 9/1900 Young 24 152 E. SIMONSEN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TRIM BOTTON COMPRISING A COLLET, SAID COLLET HAVING AN ANNULAR PERIPHERAL SURFACE EXTENDING GENERALLY AXIALLY AND A BASE SURFACE EXTENDING GENERALLY RADIALLY FROM SAID SURFACE, A CAP, SAID CAP BEING GENERALLY CUP-SHAPED AND HAVING A TOP WALL AND AN ANNULAR SIDE WALL TERMINATING IN A FREE EDGE, A COVERING ON SAID CAP, SAID COVERING EXTENDING OVER THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID TOP WALL AND THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID SIDE WALL AROUND THE FREE EDGE OF SAID SIDE WALL AND ALONG THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID SIDE WALL AND A PORTION OF THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID TOP WALL, SAID SIDE WALL OF SAID CAP BEING DEFORMED INWARDLY TO HOLD THE COVERING IN CONTACT WITH THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID COLLET WITH THE PORTION ADJACENT THE FREE EDGE OF SAID SIDE WALL BEING DEFORMED RADIALLY INWARDLY TO HOLD THE COVERING IN CONTACT WITH SAID BASE SURFACE OF SAID COLLET, SAID COVERING BEING SUBSTANTIALLY THICKER IN THE PORTIONS OF THE FREE EDGE OF SAID WALL OF SAID CAP. 